The city is divided over the Kingsway Entertainment District and the other large projects, like the Arts Junction? Poppycock, says Ward 5 incumbent Robert Kirwan.
“Those claims are absolutely ridiculous and demonstrate just how desperate the opponents to the arena and/or the casino are becoming,” he said in a news release. “The voting for the municipal election is almost upon us and when the final tally is taken, I am certain that it will be clear that the residents of this city have never been as solidly behind the direction of a city council as they are today.”
Kirwan insists “there has never been so much excitement about the future of this city.”
In his typical style of discourse, Kirwan chalks up the opposition to a small, but loud group of “special interest political activists” throwing “temper tantrums” to get their way.
“They can run down the mayor and councillors all they want. They can spread false and misleading statements all they want. The vast majority of the general public is not buying it. They elected their mayor and councillors to make change happen and that is precisely what we have done. The majority of our constituents agree with what we have done and they will demonstrate that support in a couple of weeks when the voting begins.”
Read the full text of Kirwan’s release below.
Despite the fact that some mayoral candidates are trying desperately to convince voters that they actually do support the Kingsway Entertainment District, they can’t escape the fact that with the exception of Mayor Brian Bigger and a couple of candidates who are not considered serious contenders, they have all clearly stated that they do not support various aspects of the direction that was approved by city council on and since June 27, 2017.
They have all made it unmistakably evident that if they were in a position of influence they would propose changes to what council has already approved. Those changes would inevitably delay the development long enough that the KED would be at serious risk. And for the life of me, I have seen too many of these transformational projects stopped because a small number of people objected and forced councils of the past to reconsider. That is not going to happen this time!
We are also starting to hear from some candidates who insist that the KED has divided the community and poisoned relationships at Tom Davies Square. Those claims are absolutely ridiculous and demonstrate just how desperate the opponents to the arena and/or the casino are becoming. The voting for the municipal election is almost upon us and when the final tally is taken, I am certain that it will be clear that the residents of this city have never been as solidly behind the direction of a city council as they are today.
In fact, from what I am hearing, this city is definitely not divided nor are the relationships at TD Square poisoned. There has never been so much excitement about the future of this city. I am feeling this among staff as well as the general public. Citizens are glad that we have a city council that is not going to settle for second best just to appease a small group of very loud special interest political activists who feel they are entitled to get their own way with council. They are not happy but their very public temper tantrums are not going to work this time. They can run down the mayor and councillors all they want. They can spread false and misleading statements all they want. The vast majority of the general public is not buying it. They elected their mayor and councillors to make change happen and that is precisely what we have done. The majority of our constituents agree with what we have done and they will demonstrate that support in a couple of weeks when the voting begins.
It is now up to the residents of the City of Greater Sudbury to vote in record numbers so that they can once again elect representatives who are committed to completing the projects that the current council has started. It is time to give a clear mandate to a mayor and council which is going to finish the KED with an integrated facility that houses the arena / event centre owned by the city, a casino owned by Gateway Casinos, and a hotel owned by a private ownership group.
It is time to elect a council that is then going to continue to develop the Downtown Arts & Culture District, which will feature a new library, a new art gallery, a new convention and performance centre, a new Place des Arts, the Elgin Greenway, the Brady Green Stairway, a renovated Tom Davies Square courtyard, Memorial Park, a renewed Sudbury Theatre Centre, the School of Architecture and numerous small boutiques in the downtown.
As I said, I have never seen the city so united behind a project that has the scope of all that is listed above. They are not going to elect a new council that is going to allow a small group of dissidents to put a stop to the KED and risk a once in a generation opportunity.
They trust that the current council has done their due diligence. They trust the financial plan that was approved by council last December which included a minimal tax increase. They trust the project will stimulate commercial assessment growth to fully cover the debt financing and operational costs moving forward.
The residents of this city elected a council to make the important decisions. They elected a strong enough council to be able to hold their ground against special interest and political activist groups that would try to undermine our authority and our decisions.
I can’t wait for the election to be over to prove just how united this city really is. Then it will be up to the new council to “get it done”!
I only hope that once the election is over everyone can accept the will of the voters and we can all work together to maximize the potential of these projects. Our future depends on all of us moving forward together in unity.
Learn more about Kirwan’s candidacy by visiting his page on Sudbury.com.
